278 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



by every one at all acquainted with the subject, that 

 the quality of cheese does not dej^eud upon the su- 

 perior richness of the soil or the fineness of the 

 herbage ; for cheese of the first (juality is frequently 

 made from land of an inferior description, and from 

 herbage of a coarse nature. Nor does the quahty 

 of the cheese depend on the breed of the cows ; for 

 cheese of the best quahty is made from the milk of 

 cows of all the different breeds that are to be found 

 iu the country. We think it principally depends on 

 the management of the cows as to their food, etc., of 

 the milk in converliug it into cheese till it is fit for 

 market. 



The following circumstances are injurious to the 

 quality of cheese: Allowing the cows to get rank or 

 ill-flavored grass or hay, these conveying a bad flavor 

 to the milk and cheese; allowing the cows to run and 

 heat themselves; driving them far to be milked, which 

 makes the milk froth much in milking ; carrying the 

 milk from the place of milking to the dairy ; and al- 

 lowing it to remain long after it is milked, before it is 

 set with the rennet. 



The greatest dependence is upon the daiiy-maid ; 

 and the chief art of making cheese of the finest 

 quality lies in her management. The superintendence 

 of the dairy invariably devolves upon the farmer's 

 wife. Mrs. Hayward attends to every minute cir- 

 cumstance in this department; and the following is a 

 report of the information she has obligingly commu- 

 nicated to us respecting the whole economy of the 

 dairy of this farm. 



The management of a dairy should be conducted 

 with the greatest regularity. Every operation should 

 be performed precisely at the proper time. Either 

 hastening or delaying the execution of it will cause 

 cheese of an inferior quality to be made of milk from 

 which the best may be obtained. A dairy-maid is 

 selected for skill, cleanliness, and strict attention to 

 her business. 



Her work commences at four o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and continues without intermission till bed-time. 



Dairy-house. — The dairy-house should be kept at 

 a temperature of between 50 and 60 deg.; and the 

 dryer it is kept the better, as both milk and cream 

 retain their sweetness much longer in dry than in 

 damp air. Every time, therefore, the dairy is washed, 

 it is dried as quickly as possible. 



Around two sides of the dairy there are broad 

 shelves, made of elm, for putting the vessels that hold 

 the milk and cream, and the newly-made cheese upon. 

 On another side there is a fi-ame with three large 

 stone cheese-presses. In the middle of the north side 

 is the door; and in the corner, on the left, is the stair 

 leading up to the cheese-lofts ; and behind the door 

 is a single cheese-press, which is generally used in 

 pressing the cheese the first time, before it is cut 

 down and put through the mill. In the mid die of 

 the floor stand three leaden vessels, large enough to 

 hold the whey of one "meal," or milking; and by the 

 side of these stands the cheese-tub. 



Above the daiiy there are two cheese-lofts, around 

 the sides of which there are broad shelves for holding 

 two rows of boards, called here " cheese-taclv," which 

 being only about eight inches apart, contain a much 

 greater quantity of cheese than could be disposed on 

 the floor. The stair to the cheese-lofts is of oak, and 



seems to be the pride of the dairy-maid, for it is dry- 

 rubbed and polished so smooth that it is dangerous 

 to walk upon ; but this sort of pride is encouraged, 

 as evincing an attention to cleanliness. 



Along the north side of the daity there is a shed, 

 which communicates with the dwelling-house. In this 

 shed the utensils are kept upon a stand for the pur- 

 pose, the cream is churned, and other work performed, 

 nothing being done in the dairy but the making of 

 the cheese and the making up of the butter. 



Opposite the door of the dairy, and detached from 

 the shed, is a wash-house with a pump-well at the 

 door of it. In this wash-house the water and the 

 milk are heated iu boilers for the purpose, and all 

 cleaning work is performed. 



Utensils. — The milking pails are made of maple, 

 on account of the lightness of the wood and its clean- 

 liness of appearance. They hold about six gallons 

 each, and the cheese-tub is of a large size enough to 

 hold the whole of the milk. The ladder, the skim- 

 ming dish, and the bowl, are of maple. The sieve 

 for straining the milk is about fifteen inches in diame- 

 ter, and has a hair-cloth bottom. 



There are a number of cheese-vats, sufficient to 

 hold all the cheese made in four or five days. They 

 are made of elm, and turned out of the solid. That 

 which gives five cheeses to a cwt. is considered the 

 best size for double Gloucester, the inside diameter 

 of which is fifteen inches and a half, and depth four 

 and a quarter ; and this is considered the best for 

 single Gloucester which gives eight to a cwt., the 

 diameter within being fifteen inches and a half, and 

 depth two and a half. Round boards, called " suity 

 boards,"' made of elm, of the diameter of the cheese- 

 vats, and thicker in the middle than at the edges, are 

 occasionally necessary to place on the cheeses when 

 in the press, if the vats are not quite full. Without 

 the assistance of these boards, the cheese will be 

 round in the edges (a proof of not being well pressed), 

 and not so handsome. 



The cheese-presses are made of stone, as being the 

 cleanest material for the purpose, and of steadiest 

 pressure. They weigh about 7 cwt. each ; they are 

 raised by a block and takle, and the whole apparatus 

 is painted white. 



From the whey leads, which are oblong, and about 

 eight inches deep, there are leaden pipes which con- 

 vey the whey into an under-ground cistern, near the 

 pigs' houses, where by means of a pump it is raised 

 when Manted for the pigs. Leaden keep the M'hey 

 longer sweet than wooden vessels, and are much easier 

 kept clean. This is done by scouring them with ashes 

 of wood, and washing them well every time they are 

 emptied, which is every thirty-six hours. 



Tin vessels are used in preference to earthenware 

 for holding the milk that is set for cream, and also 

 for holding the cream. Those used for the cream 

 hold about four gallons each, and are made with a 

 lip for the convenience of shifting the cream from one 

 of these vessels into another. This is done once every 

 day during summer ; and there is a Moodcn slice or 

 knife always kept in the cream vessel, with which the 

 cream is frequently stirred during the day, to prevent 

 a skin from forming on the top of it, which is inju- 

 rious to the quality of the butter. The skimming 

 dish, used for taking the cream off the milk, differs 



